ScottyP5947 wrote:
. . . The gen I have starts and runs my air conditioner without any issue. I'd hate to upgrade and then possibly have trouble.
Thanks -
Scott
I feel your pain--lol! You're not the first person to go down this road.
We purchased one of the first 3100 Champion inverter generators back in late 2013. Loved it, but after using it for a year we came to the conclusion it was just a touch too loud. So . . . we tried powering our Dometic a/c unit (with an OEM start cap) with two paralleled Honda EU2000i's. Quickly discovered the paralleled Honda EU2000i's would not start our Dometic a/c unit with the Eco mode on---had to turn the Eco mode off to start the a/c! Unfortunately, two EU2000i's running side-by-side with the Eco mode off are as loud as a Champion 3100. So we went to plan B, and tried a EU3000iS. Same problem---it would not start the Dometic a/c unit with the Eco mode on; however, it would start it with the Eco mode off. Exasperated, we gave up and went back to using the Champion 3100. We came to the conclusion it wasn't worth spending double to triple the money just to reduce sound levels a few db.
While on this little journey, we did do quite a bit of testing (with all the above generators) with an inrush current capable clamp-on ammeter. We powered a number of RV a/c units with varying LRA's. We gained a lot of good info, but two things really stood out. When you parallel two Honda EU2000i's, running current doubles; however, inrush current only increases approx. 10%. Two, the Champion 3100 is king-of-the-hill in terms of inrush current--it's a beast. There are very few RV a/c units the Champion 3100 cannot start.
------------------------
ScottyP5947, on a side note, what make and model a/c unit do you have on your RV? Look up the LRA (locked rotor amp) rating for it. If it's less than 60 amps, the EU3000iS will start it reliably with the Eco mode off, less than 55 amps or so, it should start it reliably with the Eco mode on.
FWIW, Dometic a/c units are notorious power hogs. Their LRA's are sometimes as high as 68-70 amps for their 13.5k and 15.0k a/c's. Coleman Mach a/c units are typically much more efficient. In fact, Coleman Mach makes a 13.5k RV a/c unit with an LRA of ~50 amps that a solo EU2000i will start reliably. BTW, the Dometic a/c unit in our RV back in 2013-2014 had an LRA of 63 amps.
